This Gift Shop Proves Intangible Art Can Be a Sold-Out Sensation

Written By:

Eva Recinos

Perhaps a century ago, no artist could imagine the idea of collectors paying thousands of dollars to buy something they couldn’t actually hang on their walls. Beyond the logistics of a virtual piece—how do you make it? What would it look like?—it would seem unfathomable that the act of collecting could extend to something beyond the tangible. The Walker Art Center recently opened Intangibles, a unique portion of their gift shop that features virtual pieces for sale.

But the digital age has ushered in a variety of projects that use the Internet and mobile apps as inspiration—and as medium. Two years ago, Rafaël Rozendall rocked the art world by selling a website at auction for more than $3,000 dollars. Now, exhibitions more frequently feature virtual pieces.

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